new orleans

code pink, eve ensler, jodie evans, v-day (NO, NOT valentines day), hurricane katrina and a dream come true

Oh When CODEPINK Came Marching In (To New Orleans On Eve's V-Day)
by Linda Milazzo

For my entire life - years before Hurricane Katrina - I fantasized about New Orleans. I dreamed of being decadent in the French Quarter in clubs where my music heroes played. I dreamed of tasting the food, studying the architecture, hearing the accents, and being cradled in the arms of the city – in the cream, black, brown and white blended arms of the city. I wanted to earn my beads at Mardi Gras, search the bayous for magic, and be transformed beyond the boundaries of my physical world. But the rigors of my life quashed my momentum and I didn’t visit the one American city I'd always longed to see -- until just last weekend -- nearly three years AFTER the hurricane.
Thanks to the brilliant Eve Ensler, and our intrepid CODEPINK cofounder, Jodie Evans, my dream of seeing New Orleans finally came true. On April 11th & 12th, Eve Ensler created “V To The Tenth” -- the tenth anniversary celebration of V-Day (Ensler’s global movement to end violence against women and girls). Not surprisingly, Jodie Evans, a longtime friend of Eve, and proponent of women's rights, was a sponsor of the V-Day event. As a result, an international call went out to CODEPINKers to travel to NOLA to celebrate V-Day. Over one hundred men and women signed on. This time I HAD TO GO!! ........